Walkers Crisps will add 110 new jobs to its Leicester plant as part of a £15.2M upgrade, revealed its owner PepsiCo.

A new line producing kettle-fried potato crisps will be opened at the factory, creating the jobs making Red Sky and Extra Crunchy crisps.

A PepsiCo spokeswoman said that the firm is looking for 80 general workers, 20 support staff and 10 manufacturing technicians. A number of long-serving staff have retired this year, she added.

Rebecca Ransford, manufacturing manager at PepsiCo, said: “We have an impressive track record of people working at the site over many decades – in fact, some of our most recently retired colleagues have racked up a phenomenal 800 years of collective service.”

Major employer

Liz Kendall, Labour MP for Leicester West, said the announcement was proof of the firm's commitment to the city. “PepsiCo is a major employer in the local area and today’s (April 26) announcement is a welcome boost to the local economy,” she said.

Over the past year PepsiCo has added 300 people to bring the total workforce at the Beaumont Leys site to over 2,000 people.

The investment in the factory follows PepsiCo investment of £14.4M at its Quaker Oats site in Cupar, Scotland and £9.3M at its distribution site in Peterlee, Durham earlier this year.

Walkers was established in Leicester in 1982.

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